Loopholes
by AnythingBut
Summary: Male pregnancy? At first, Harry and Draco are certain that Hermione is kidding them, yet it seems that it s not impossible to have kids of their own after all, even though it entails a lot of risks... AU, slash, mainly pre-mpreg. Don t like, don t read!
1. Hold me, thrill me

_Disclaimer_: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter or anything created by J.K. Rowling for that matter. Healer McCarthy is mine, though- if only I could swap him for Draco!

-o-

**_Warnings_ for this story-** **please read these first!**

This story is about a homosexual relationship between two men and contains the issue of male pregnancy. If you don´t like this or even feel disgusted by it, don´t read.

I won´t take any flames because you haven´t heeded these warnings, nor do I want to hear any crap about homosexual love being perverse or something like that.

Same goes for mpreg- it´s not everyone´s cup of tea, so please refrain from bothering with this fic if you know you can´t stomach it.

Thanks.

_Furthermore_: the story is AU and only partly DH-epilogue compliant. It will deal mainly with _pre_-mpreg.

-o-

**_Author´s notes: _**

This story was inspired by a conversation with friend of mine who said heck, he´d even go through pregnancy if that meant he and his lover would be able to have a child of their own.

I´ve written it quite a while ago, unsure how I felt about the subject myself up until then, and have decided to post it now since I don´t have much time to update my other story _Wicked_

(but those of you who´re following it: rest assured that I am working on it in between, the new chapter is underway!).

_Timeframe for this story_: set in the present; Hermione´s daughter rose was born in 2006, thus she´s three years old of now. Harry and Draco are 29 years old.

-o-

And now: _enjoy_!

o

* * *

**-o-  
**

**Part 1: Hold me, thrill me...**

**-o-O-o-**

-

Draco watched as Harry played with three-year-old Rose, chasing the little girl on its toy broom across the lawn, and pretending not to be able to catch her at all. She squealed with delight every time she escaped him anew, never tiring of the game. Harry´s carefree laughter rang out through the garden, and Draco found himself smiling.

He looked up when Hermione sat down next to him on the bench, Hugo in her arms. "Hello there, Sleepyhead," Draco said as the little boy evidently wasn´t completely awake yet and buried his face in his mother´s shoulder, yawning widely.

Hermione smiled: "If I wouldn´t wake him, he´d nap all afternoon." She shifted the child and bent her head down to its ear: "Did you see that Uncle Harry and Uncle Draco are here?" she whispered. "Uncle Harry is playing with Rosie, look."

Hugo turned his head and cautiously peered over his shoulder, but then his gaze came to rest on Draco. He was a smaller version of Ron, Draco thought, but if you looked closer, you could find Hermione in him as well.

They looked at each other solemnly until Hugo suddenly burst into grin and quickly hid his face behind his hands.

Draco hid his face as well, peering at Hugo between two fingers. The little boy, who had been peeking at him of course, giggled as Draco quickly hid again. Hermione watched them, an unreadable expression on her face.

After a while, Hugo squirmed out of her arms and climbed onto Draco´s lap instead: "Daddy pway gee-gees!" he cried happily. Draco complied, pretending to drop Hugo off several times and eliciting gleeful squeals from the child, but raised a questioning eyebrow at being called "Daddy".

Hermione smiled fondly as she watched her son bounce on Draco´s leg, pretending to sit on a horse: "He calls every man Daddy right now, I don´t know why. Maybe because it´s easier than memorizing the names."

Draco nodded, eventually stopping and setting the boy down: "Look, Rosie is beckoning you over to her. Better go and see what´s up!"

As soon as Hugo had toddled off towards his sister and Harry, Hermione looked at Draco inquisitively: "Tell me what´s wrong?"

Draco returned her look, astounded by how well she was able to read him, but didn´t reply anything.

"Come on, " Hermione said with a touch of the impatience Harry swore was one of her trademarks, "every time you´re around the kids you seem downtrodden after a while for some reason. I noticed some time ago."

Draco had a defiant answer on his tongue, but then found he couldn´t lie to her. He sighed and averted his eyes: "It´s just... it makes me a little sad, is all," he finally said.

"Why?" she asked softly.

He shrugged; the warm sunlight suddenly seemed too bright, making him squint: "I guess I´d like a kid of my own."

He could hear these words echo around in the momentary silence that followed, half-wishing he hadn´t said them, half-relieved that they were out.

Hermione nodded slowly, he could see it from the corner of his eye: "Does Harry know?"

"I think he does," Draco said in a low voice. "We haven´t exactly talked about it, but... you know."

Again, they fell silent and watched Harry play with the children. "He loves them so much," Draco mumbled, his face sad again. "I guess he´d like to be a father."

"I was just wondering," Hermione said slowly after a while, "wether you are considering of actually giving it a try."

Draco turned to her: "Adoption, you mean? Or a surrogate mother? I don´t think-" "That´s not what I meant, no," she said. "I was talking about getting pregnant."

A snort of laughter escaped Draco: "You´re pulling my leg," he said.

"I´m not." Hermione looked as serious as could be. "I was talking about male pregnancy."

Draco stared at her: "Male..." he echoed, disbelievingly. "Are you sure you´re not pulling my leg?"

Hermione subdued a laugh at the expression in his face: "Yes, I am! Are you telling me you´ve never heard about it?"

"Heard about what?"

Draco flinched at being caught like that and looked up at Harry, who had joined them and dropped into the chair opposite them, looking flushed from running around_. Tracking and Stealth_ during Autor training, Draco thought darkly, had certainly taught his lover how to move inaudibly.

"Er..." he then said awkwardly, unsure as to how Harry would react to this: "Hermione and I were talking about... about male pregnancy."

He ended with a laugh, as if waving it off, but Harry stared, looking as confused as Draco had before: "_Male_..."

Hermione rolled her eyes in mock desperation: "Oh, for heaven´s sake- it´s not _that_ uncommon!" She got up and went inside; when she came back a moment later, she was carrying a glossy magazine: "There´s an article about it in here," she said lightly and handed it to Draco. "I´m going to make some coffee while you´re at it."

"She means reading," Harry translated for Draco, who grinned: "You don´t say."

Harry sat down next to him, and they leafed through the magazine until they had found the article. "_Loopholes_," Harry read the headline aloud. "Are you sure that´s the one?"

"Hmm..." Draco had already begun reading, so Harry fell silent.

-

When Hermione appeared on the terrace with a tray, both men were deeply immersed in the article and wearing an almost identical frown. "It´s quite interesting, isn´t it?" she said while she poured the coffee.

Draco looked pale: "It´s mainly scary," he said. Harry only nodded vigorously.

Hermione sat down: "It is an option, however," she said, trying to sound casual. "If you really want children and are not inclined to adopt or use a surrogate, it might be the solution."

Harry looked from her to Draco: "Er... how come I suddenly got the feeling this is concerning _us_?"

Draco returned his gaze apologetically: "I´m sorry... it... just came up somehow."

As if emphasizing this, they heard the pitter-patter of small feet before Hugo threw himself into Draco´s arms: "Daddy pway ´gain?"

-

Harry was very quiet that evening. Draco eyed him surreptitiously, wondering wether his lover was mad at him, but didn´t know how to address the issue.

He retreated to bed early with a mug of tea and a book; when Harry joined him a while later, however, he crawled under the covers and snuggled up close to Draco, sliding his head underneath his arm so that he could rest it against the blond´s chest.

Draco put his book aside and wrapped his arms around Harry, leaning his cheek against the unruly mop of jet black hair: "What´s bothering you?" he asked very softly.

Harry sighed: "Children," he murmured. "It´s not that I didn´t think about it at times, I just never thought you´d want your own."

Draco hesitated: "I didn´t know either," he admitted. "But being with Rose and Hugo, it seems that there´s more to them than changing nappies and trying to stop them from crying all the time."

Harry gave a short chuckle: "I bet Ron and Hermione would be glad to hear that."

Draco caressed his back: "What do you think?" he said, almost timidly.

Harry sought for words: "I... don´t know... can you imagine us as parents?"

Pictures of Harry playing with Rose came to Draco´s mind, and he smiled into Harry´s hair: "Yes... I guess I can."

"Well, then..." Harry muttered, "then we should think about it."

-

Draco hardly found any sleep that night. Harry and he had curled up together, and as he lay there, listening to his lover´s heartbeat, he tried to imagine what would happen if they decided to have children.

A child. A little person which they both had created together, which would look a little like Harry and a little like himself.

It sounded too miraculous to be true, he mused.

Harry sighed in his sleep, nestling closer against the blond; Draco smiled as he felt some drool landing on his chest. Those little details were what made a relationship worthwhile in his opinion. Harry and his quirks... he smiled even more.

No, he then said to himself, he couldn´t consider adoption or even a surrogate mother when there was another option, an option which would truly make him and Harry the parents of their child.

If Harry agreed to it, he decided, he would choose male pregnancy.

-

Three months later found Draco in St. Mungo´s and asking himself wether he had completely been off the rocker when he had convinced Harry that he was ready and able to carry a child.

They had been to see Healer McCarthy, a specialist at St. Mungo´s who had explained the whole procedure that was necessary if a male wizard wanted to become pregnant:

"As the male body normally isn´t equipped to be carrying a fetus, there are some complicated spells that have to be performed by specifically trained mediwizards, which will then induce the necessary changes. They take three days to complete and initially are extremely painful, as there are some major transformations of inner organs, formations of new organs and an expansion of the pelvis to be achieved."

Harry and Draco exchanged a look, thinking the same: _ouch_.

The mediwizard continued: "During that time, no pain relievers can be given, since the risk that they might do some irreparable damage is too high. The respective wizard remains in intensive care and is thoroughly supervised throughout the whole process however."

At this, Harry looked outright alarmed: "How high exactly is the risk at all?" he asked.

"Very," Healer McCarthy confirmed. "There is no mistake about it: if something goes wrong, there might be lasting damage to the respective wizard´s health. As long as he´s sufficiently cared for, however, everything should be well."

Harry seemed to want to say something else, but Draco cut him off by clearing his throat: "And... assuming that everything goes well... how does the baby... come out in the end?"

Healer McCarthy conjured up a chart: "During the process of reforming, as we call it, a temporary birth canal is being produced, similar to a woman´s. Its orifice will appear in the area of the perineum. After the insamination it usually closes and stays like that until shortly before the birth, thus it usually doesn´t affect the male other than being a little sensitive."

Draco and Harry stared at the chart: "I rather thought they´d execute a C-section..." Draco said feebly.

The Healer shook his head: "That has proven to be too dangerous," he said quietly. "The mortality risk is three times higher than the other way."

He put the chart down: "We have had two male pregnancies during the past three years, and both have been successful," he said encouragingly. "It is important for the future fathers to know about the risks, as such a decision shouldn´t be taken lightly, thus I´ll give you a few brochures to take home. You are of course welcome to contact me if you have further questions."

-

That evening, after perusing the brochures they had gotten, Harry looked at Draco wide-eyed: "You are not going to have that done to you, you aren´t!" Draco would have laughed at him, hadn´t he read the brochures for himself.

"It´s enough to make you feel queasy," he admitted. Harry shook his head though: "It´s seriously dangerous. Draco, if the price for a child is that high, I am not sure we should do it."

Draco swallowed, hardly able not to show his disappointment: "Healer McCarthy said the last few have been successful..." he argued.

"The last _two_, you mean," Harry replied. "That´s not exactly reassuring, in my opinion. Don´t you think there would´ve been more if it were so easy?"

"We might not have been the only ones who didn´t know about male pregnancies in the first place," Draco reminded him. "There might be more if it were more common."

He looked at Harry with a resigned look on his face: "The more I think about it, the more I want it," he said, his voice sounding weary.

Harry leaned forward, taking his lover´s hands in his: "All I´m saying is that I´m fearing for you," he muttered softly. "I hate the idea of you being in such pain."

Draco leaned forward as well, closing the distance between them until their foreheads touched: "I´ll be fine," he whispered.

-

He wasn´t so sure about that now, however, as he was lying on a hospital bed. He had been in St. Mungo´s for two days already; Healer McCarthy had assessed his health to see if he was in the required condition to endure the reforming process, and had pronounced him qualified.

Right now he was standing at the end of Draco´s bed, preparing for the spells he was about to perform.

Harry, who had been at Draco´s side nearly all the time, had been sent outside since the magic that was about to enfold was powerful, and the mediwizard was not going to take any risks.

The Healer now turned towards Draco: "Are you ready?" he asked. Draco nodded; as ready as could be, he thought.

"Kindly remove your shirt," McCarthy said. When Draco was merely clad in loosely fitting cotton pants, the Healer asked him to lay back and close his eyes.

Draco´s skin prickled with nervousness.

He had no time to dwell on that, however; he never heard a word, since the Healers were required to perform the spells nonverbally so as to prevent any misuse, but his stomach suddenly clenched painfully, feeling as though he had swallowed a block of ice.

It was unpleasant, and the weighty coldness now spread into the rest of his body, accompanied by a fierce, cramping ache that robbed him of his breath.

A moment later, Draco lost consciousness.

-

**--**

**To Be Continued**

**--**


	2. kiss me

Thanks to all who read, reviewed and/or put the story on their alert/ favourites list!

**-o-  
**

**Part 2: ...kiss me...  
**

**-o-O-o-**

-

When he came to, the first thing he noticed was the warm body next to him, a significant difference to his cold feet. He tried to scoot closer to it but found he couldn´t- his arms and legs were immobile, seemingly bound to the bed by strangely soft shackles.

His body ached terribly from even trying, and the immediately rising panic forced him to open his eyes. He blinked, recognizing Harry next to him: why would Harry allow for him to be bound? He wanted to ask him, but all that came out sounded like a hoarse, croaky whimper. Harry started, looking down on him worriedly: "Shhh, love, it´s all right, I´m here," he soothed, stroking Draco´s face.

His fingers were pleasantly cool against Draco´s strangely heated skin. A moment later, Draco´s head was being lifted and a cup met his lips as Harry was helping him drink some water, which ran through his hurting throat, relieving the roughness a little.

Afterwards, Harry assumed his former position and cradled Draco as close as possible: "Don´t be scared, love," he murmured into Draco´s hair, "they had to bind you so you wouldn´t thrash around from the pain and risk to hurt yourself. Healer McCarthy told us about it before, remember?"

Draco´s breath came in gasps; ever since he had woken up did the pain seem to have increased; his abdomen felt like it was on fire, and his hips shot waves of red-hot agony through him. He vaguely remembered something like that, yes, but it didn´t seem important now, all he wanted was for it to be over.

"How long... have I been out?" he ground out. "Four hours," Harry said, sounding anxious. Through the haze in his mind Draco felt Harry´s hand on his forehead, cool and gentle; a little while later, it was replaced by a dampened cloth which felt wonderful.

Draco bit back a groan as a new wave of pain hit him, trying to concentrate on the soothing feeling on his forehead and Harry, who was talking to him quietly, telling him that he was strong and they would go through this together.

"Why... ´s my throat hurt?" Draco whispered with an effort. Harry stroked his cheek: "You... you screamed a lot," he said, his voice pained at the memory.

Draco closed his eyes: this was bad, and he still had more than two days to go. He barely heard Harry´s reassuring voice as he tried to subdue the pain that ruled every inch of his being right now.

-

During the next few hours, Draco slipped in and out consciousness. Most of the time he lay still, breathing rapidly through the waves of agony, then again he screamed and fought to get loose. At times he only moaned pitifully, which seemed the worst.

Harry was beside himself with worry and distress, and by the time the evening had arrived, he was a nervous wreck, hating to be so helpless.

He stayed with Draco during the night, despite his own tiredness; he couldn´t possibly think of going to sleep when his lover was convulsing with pain like that.

The first light of dawn illuminated the room and made Draco´s delicate face look almost translucent. Harry buried his hands in his hair: if this was bad, how would the birth be then? How could he ever had agreed to this in the first place? Was a child really worth all this agony?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Draco, who was whimpering exhaustedly. Harry quickly wrapped himself around him, seeking to soothe his beloved; he could still feel the heat of fever radiating from him, and that was what scared him most: Draco was burning up.

Healer McCarthy had so far managed to calm him by reassuring him that everything Draco had had to endure so far was what had to be expected, but when he came in early to assess his patient, he frowned after he had taken his temperature. Harry´s heart clenched painfully.

"I can´t give him any potion against the fever," the mediwizard murmured, "we will have to resort to other means."

He turned to give instructions to the nurse he had brought with him; she immediately set to work.

Ten minutes later, cold poultices had been wrapped around Draco´s chest and lower legs, and the damp cloth on his forehead had been renewed. "He will need to drink water in regular intervals," she informed Harry as she conjured up a fresh jug and put it on the nightstand.

Harry nodded, dazed: "Is it normal that the patient develops such a high fever?" he asked.

McCarthy shook his head: "I am afraid no. When I examined him, Mr Malfoy also denied that he was prone to it. Otherwise I wouldn´t have taken the risk..."

Harry groaned. He should have stayed during the examination: "Of course he would deny it," he said, "he doesn´t like the idea of being vulnerable, and he uses to make light of any illnesses he might have."

"What do you mean?" the Healer asked sharply.

Harry´s head was reeling: "I mean that he _is_ prone to fever," he breathed while inwardly calling himself an idiot, "I should have thought to tell you..."

His mind wandered back to the winter before last: Draco had had a bout of Muggle flu which had been severely enough to keep him in bed for several days.

Most of the symptoms had vanished rather quickly, save for the fever. Harry remembered how relieved he had been when it had finally abated, for he had seldomly seen Draco so sluggish and ill.

McCarthy straightened up: "Well, there´s no way to reverse the spells now," he said firmly. "Your partner is a healthy young man, Mr Potter, don´t you worry. We will get him through this."

Harry´s thoughts went to the other two guys who had been through this. Draco and he had met them before finalizing their decision, as they had had so many questions. Both of them had admitted that the reforming had been extremely painful, yet they had seemed happy, and none of them seemed to regret their decision.

He looked down on his love´s tense, sweaty face fondly, and stroked over his hair, realizing just how brave he was, and how much he must love Harry if he was willing to take on all this pain to have his, Harry´s child.

Draco gave a pained sigh but subconsciously leaned into Harry´s touch; his lover hurried to reassure him: "It´s okay, baby," he whispered, "I´m here with you... I love you so much... you´ll be all right..."

-

To everybody´s relief, the fever abated during the day; Draco´s eyes were still glazed over when he looked at Harry with obvious alleviation and exhaustion after Healer McCarthy had declared it safe to remove the bindings, and it didn´t take long for him to slip into a deep, restful sleep.

He slept through the night and most of the following day; Harry, reassured by the Healer that Draco was stable now, briefly went home for a shower and fresh clothes, but didn´t want to stay away longer than necessary. When he arrived back at the hospital his lover was indeed slumbering peacefully; Harry simply climbed onto the bed, snuggled up with him and fell asleep as well.

Draco woke up in the early evening, his whole body feeling very heavy and sore. There was an ominous dull dragging pain in his abdomen, if not so bad he couldn´t handle it; it felt like someone had punched him repeatedly.

Even before he opened his eyes did he register Harry´s warm body next to his, smelled the other´s scent that surrounded him, and was grateful for his lover to be there with him.

He had no idea what day it was and how much time had passed, it all blurred together into a hazy recollection of pain and of Harry trying to comfort him, Harry with all his love.

Draco suddenly longed for him even though he was right next to him, and put an effort into raising a shaking hand, the back of which he then dug into Harry´s shirt.

Harry began to stir when he felt the light touch; he quickly sat up after a moment´s disorientation, anxious that something might be wrong, but he found Draco smiling at him.

He still looked very peaky with his ashen face and the dark smudges underneath his eyes, but to Harry it was the most entrancing sight he could imagine right then.

"Hey you," he said hoarsely, catching Draco´s hand in his own and squeezing it tightly, "feeling better?"

"Yes, " Draco said or rather croaked, since his throat was very dry.

Harry helped him to drink some water, then put the glass away and gently smoothed the hair back from Draco´s face: "It´s been quite scary, hasn´t it?" he said.

"Don´t remember much," Draco mumbled, "which day is it?" "The last," Harry replied. "We´re nearly through, I think." "Thank you for the _we_," Draco whispered and nuzzled against Harry´s hand, pressing a kiss into the palm.

"Anytime," Harry murmured affectionately. His gaze lingered on Draco´s shining eyes for a moment before slowly wandering down to his love´s belly. "Does it feel any differently?" he asked hesitantly.

Draco gave a feeble snort of laughter at the reverence in Harry´s voice: "Can´t say yet..."

Harry looked at him lovingly and closed the distance between them until their lips were touching: "Care for some snogging?" "Doesn´t my breath smell like tiger?" "Yes, it does... _ow_!" Draco had bitten Harry.

Chuckling at first, they lost themselves in a long and passionate kiss.

-

On the following morning, Healer McCarthy thoroughly examined Draco; he had not been allowed to get up yet, much to his annoyance. He craved for a shower and getting up in order to stretch, despite his still aching body. It was more like a profound muscles soreness after another good night´s sleep, and he had yet to comprehend what had happened at all.

Harry, having learned from the fever-incident, insisted on being present all along this time. He still had a bone to pick with Draco about it, but he´d wait for the appropriate moment. As of now, he was standing by Draco´s side, holding his love´s hand for support while the Healer was examining Draco´s abdomen, feeling and applying gentle pressure on certain spots.

The blond´s face was tense, but he didn´t complain. Next, McCarthy used his wand to scan Draco´s lower body. An almost translucent screen appeared, apparently showing Draco´s innards.

He and Harry couldn´t distinguish a thing, but the Healer assessed it attentively and nodded a few times, moving his wand here and there. After a few minutes, the screen vanished; the Healer then lifted up Draco´s legs and spread them, using a levitational charm to keep them in place, and began examining the newly formed orifice of the birth canal.

Draco squirmed a bit; not only due to the mortifying position he was in, but also because the newly formed parts of his body were still very sensitive to the touch. It was furthermore rather unsettling to feel the Healer´s fingers probing the temporary orifice.

When he was done, McCarthy cautiously lowered Draco´s legs back down and looked at him approvingly: "All seems well, Mr Malfoy," he said. "Apart from the fever, you have done very well during the whole procedure; given that you will rest sufficiently for the next few days, you will be released today."

Harry and Draco squeezed each other´s hand, but the Healer had yet to answer the most important question: "There will be a few instructions you will need to follow during the next two weeks; we will meet again in a fortnight. If all stays well, I will then declare you ready for insemination."

Harry cringed at the word, as it sounded so clinical, and received another squeeze from Draco. He knew what his lover wanted to say with it: _I know how horrible that sounds,but it still means making love to each other. Just imagine that we will create a new life, our baby... _

The dark-haired wizard looked at his lover and wondered if it was possible to love him even more than he already did.

-

When he finally got up, Draco´s legs felt like jelly, if very stiff at the same time. Harry and a nurse supported him, which he found embarassing, but the young witch insisted that it was the hospital´s regulation, and Draco secretly was quite grateful for it.

They walked up and down the room a few times so that he could get the feeling back in his legs and accomodate himself to his altered body. It didn´t feel much different from before, and Draco still was entirely too exhausted to really care right then.

After ten minutes, he began to shake from the exertion, thus Harry quickly helped him to wash and dress; they had brought another pair of soft cotton pants and a comfortable sweater to wear under his robes, which Draco was glad about.

Flooing and Apparating were no suitable means to travel for Draco right then as the strain on the body would be too great, so he and Harry used a Portkey to get home, arriving directly in their bedroom.

Harry put Draco´s bag down: "I´ll go make tea," he said and nuzzled Draco´s neck before leaving the room.

Draco looked after him smiling, glad to be at home, and slowly undid the fastening of his robes. He was quite worn out and felt the need to lie down again. He didn´t bother to undress but crawled under the covers just as he was. Despite having been in bed for the past few days it was wonderful to get off his feet, and the hospital bed simply had been no match for this. He snuggled into the pillow, deeply inhaling Harry´s lingering scent, and felt content.

His lover came back in a while later, carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of tea and a plate with cookies. He placed it on the nightstand, quickly shed his clothes until he only wore his boxers and a t-shirt, and climbed into the bed as well, positioning himself behind Draco so that the blond could lean against him as they were wont to do.

Nestling closely against each other, Harry wrapped his arms his love: "I missed you," he whispered and ghosted a kiss on Draco´s ear. Draco smiled even though Harry couldn´t see it: "I missed you, too," he answered very softly.

Later, when Draco looked back at those times, he usually lingered on the memory of that particular day. Even though he hadn´t been pregnant yet and hadn´t been able to do much either due to his body´s temporary restrictions, he felt like he had accomplished something.

The feeling of being home after what he had gone through combined with spending time together with Harry unhurriedly just added to the quiet happiness he had felt that day. Being safe with his love after the storm had calmed.

Harry cared for him most tenderly without hovering over him like a mother hen. Once he was assured that Draco was fine, he told himself not to be too overprotective; there was no point in treating his partner like a person who was ill, and he knew Draco wouldn´t want that.

-

Draco in fact was feeling so much better on the following day, and looking so much better as well, that he would have loved to get up and out of the house; if Healer McCarthy hadn´t told him that he´d seriously jeopardize his health and therefore the whole venture, he would hardly have tried to restrain himself.

He was allowed to get up if he didn´t overdo it, and certainly had to refrain from overtaxing himself.

After Harry had gone off to work, Draco went to take a shower. He had to admit that walking was still a tottery affair, his legs obviously not having caught up on feeling better yet.

He could also feel his hips; every step did not exactly ache but was perceivable. He luxuriated under the warm water, but then quickly crawled back into bed, using a charm to dry his hair. While he had dried himself off with a towel, he had touched the strange and quite sensitive orifice of the birth canal for the first time, and to his own surprise had blushed furiously as if doing something forbidden.

It was hardly comprehensible that that was where the baby was supposed to come out.

He lay back in bed, snuggled into the blankets and lost himself in thoughts.

**--**

**To Be Continued**

**--**


	3. don t kill me

Thanks to all who´ve reviewed, and to the 26 people on story alert!

**-o-  
**

**Part 3: ...don´t kill me**

**-o-O-o-**

-

After a few more days, Draco didn´t feel as wobbly on his legs anymore; he heeded the Healer´s advice and avoided any physical exertion, but at least he was allowed to be up within the house if he didn´t overdo it. He noticed that that was impossible anyhow, since he began to feel dizzy when he walked around too much: he had truly underestimated the strain that the changes were putting his body under, and kept being astonished about the amount of sleep he obviously needed; he constantly found himself napping or dozing.

He had just begun reading a book about baby care on the sofa when the floo announced an impending arrival; a moment later, Ron Weasley stumbled out of the fireplace, carrying Hugo on his hip.

Draco smiled and slowly swung his legs down: "Hello," he said; at the sight of him, Hugo began to struggle: "Down, Daddy!" he squealed.

Once Ron had put him down, he immediately toddled off towards Draco, his stuffed dog in tow, throwing himself into the blond man´s arms: "Careful, little one," Draco laughed, hugging the small boy close.

Ron sat down in the chair opposite of them: "How are you?" he asked, pointblankly nodding towards Draco´s belly.

Draco carefully hid his amusement at this; it had taken a lot of time and effort for Ron to accept Harry´s relationship with the blond, and even longer to manage to forget their former animosities and act friendly towards Draco. They were still treading around each other as if walking on eggs; it was easier with Hermione and/or Harry present. That Ron was paying him a spontaneous visit on his own certainly was an achievement, thus Draco didn´t want to mess up.

"Fine," he replied. "If still a little sore, and not allowed to do much but lying around."

"Dwaco ill?" Hugo, who had been playing with the buttons of Draco´s shirt, now asked, staring at the blond man with an almost solemn expression.

Draco stroked over the back of the child´s head: "No, I am not ill," he said fondly. "I just wasn´t feeling so well for a few days."

Hugo nodded and touched Draco´s face with one little hand, as if seeking to reassure them: "Hugo make Dwaco better," he promised, petting the blond man´s cheek.

Draco looked at Ron: "If this isn´t subtle propaganda," he said quietly, while a warm, fuzzy feeling spread in his belly: he had noticed that Hugo didn´t call him "Daddy" any longer, but that didn´t matter- if everything went well, Harry and he would soon have their own little boy or girl.

Ron actually smiled at this, gazing at his son fondly. Draco turned his attention back to Hugo: "Shall we go and make some tea, Hugo?"

"Hugo make tea," the little red-head squealed and wriggled off Draco´s lap, leaving the stuffed dog with him.

The blond man made to get up as well, but Ron was faster: "Stay put, mate, I´ll do it," he offered and followed the small boy into the kitchen.

"Thanks." Draco looked after them, then he put a marker into his book and laid it aside.

Ron thought he had rarely seen Malfoy so content, though that seemed the wrong word: he had rarely seen him so... fulfilled. He looked like he had won the lottery but was waiting for the appropriate time to actually tell somebody. While Ron helped Hugo measuring the right amount of tea, he resisted the urge to pull his little boy into his arms; he had never expected children to be such a marvel, yet he thanked Merlin for Rose and Hugo every day.

He could see why Harry and Draco wanted to have one of their own, and it had greatly surprised him to hear that Malfoy had actually volunteered to go through the whole painful and demanding process; despite all his earlier efforts, that had been the day when Ron had truly begun to accept and respect Draco.

When they came back into the sitting room, Draco was stroking the stuffed dog, a far-away look on his face; only when Hugo propelled himself onto the sofa next to him did he snap out of it, laughing about the little boy´s antics.

-

When Harry came home from work that evening, he found Draco napping on the sofa; he awoke as Harry tenderly stroked a few wisps of hair out of his face and bent down to kiss Draco on the forehead.

"Hmm..." Still very sleepy, Draco blinked up at him before his face broke into a smile: "Hey you," he murmured. Harry felt a rush of affection so strongly that it felt like falling in love with Draco all over again.

He unceremoniously if gingerly climbed over his love and laid down behind him, wrapping him in his arms; Draco nestled against him, his body a source of warmth. Harry gently brushed the blond´s neck with his lips: "You okay?"

"Yeah... Ron and Hugo came around for a visit."

Harry smiled into Draco´s neck: "They did?"

"Hm... and the look on Ron´s face was almost relaxed."

The smile turned into a quiet laugh: "He´s trying very hard."

"I know... Hugo´s adorable, don´t you think?"

"Yes, he is." Harry nuzzled his nose against his love´s soft skin: "Have a bath with me later on?" "That´d be lovely," Draco almost purred. "If it involves a massage."

"Conditions, Malfoy?"

"Conditions, Potter."

-

A gentle hand was caressing him, stroking through his hair and applying soft pressure to his scalp; it felt so good he could have purred. As he was slowly waking up, something else registered in his still sleepy mind: the smell of coffee.

Blinking his eyes open, he let let the light wash over him before turning onto his back to face his lover; Draco smiled at him affectionately as he did so, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on Harry´s lips: "Good morning, handsome," he murmured, nudging Harry´s mouth with his before straigthening up again. "I made breakfast."

Harry sighed contentedly: "Breakfast in bed?" he asked, reaching out for his glasses. Draco nodded, summoning a tray over to hover a few inches above the mattress. Harry smiled when he noticed the flower: a single stem with delicate white petals which Draco had put into a small glass.

They were nearing the end of the fourteen days; Draco had shown remarkable patience and had indeed followed the Healer´s advice, resting a lot and allowing his body to adjust. The more he felt like his old self, however, the less he wanted to wait; he felt up to facing the next step, and he was confident that everything had gone well.

After breakfast, Harry pushed the tray aside and pulled Draco close; the blond contentedly snuggled up with him, caressing the dark-haired wizard´s shoulder with the backs of his fingers.

"You´re happy," Harry stated, smiling into the other´s hair.

Draco smiled as well: "I am," he murmured. "I feel good, and I can´t wait to see Healer McCartney again."

"McCarthy."

"Whatever." They chuckled. Harry gently rubbed his hand over Draco´s back in lazy circles: "So... if he gives us the green light..."

"Yes?"

"Will that mean we´re going to spend every free moment in bed?"

"I hope so."

"Miss it?"

"Terribly."

"Me, too..."

Harry subdued a grin as he continued rubbing Draco´s back, slowly allowing his hand to wander further down: "Care for a little foretaste?"

"Hm..." Draco´s voice was down to a purr as Harry´s hands explored his body, massaging and teasing the blond as he went.

Soon Draco was panting, and his little mewls of pleasure only edged Harry on; without further ado, he slipped underneath the blanket and began kissing Draco´s inner thighs, gently pecking the soft skin and at times grazing it with his teeth ever so softly.

The blond buried his hands in Harry´s unruly hair, hardly realizing what he was doing because of the sensations the other´s ministrations sent through his body. He shuddered as Harry took his member in his mouth, and closed his eyes: Merlin, how he had missed this indeed.

-

A few days later, Draco was lying on a hospital examination table again. Healer McCarthy had run all sorts of tests, had asked him a lot of questions and was currently studying the translucent screen once more: "Congratulations," he finally said. "All is well. You´re ready for insemination."

Draco and Harry exchanged a look while the blond man sat up, blushing a little. It still sounded terribly clinical.

The Healer smiled: "If you will please accompany me to my office, I´ll explain the exact process to you."

Similarly to the first time he had counseled them, he showed them a chart which made both of them blush even more, since it showed the reformed male anatomy in great detail.

"The artificial birth canal leads to the newly formed uterus and ovaries," McCarthy said. "That´s why the sperm has to be inserted into it."

Harry tried not to squirm, yet he couldn´t help shifting his weight from one side to the other: "Er... how... do we do that?"

At this, Draco turned deep red and obviously tried not to burst out laughing, while the Healer smiled leniently, hiding his amusement a little better: "Well... it´s very similar to heterosexual intercourse."

"Oh," Harry blushed but shot Draco a sullen glance. The blond unsuccessfully tried to take on a compunctious expression, causing his lover to forgive him in an instant; Draco looked too adorable like this in Harry´s eyes, and he suddenly longed to be near him.

When they got home an hour later, they were in each other´s arms even before the Portkey had stopped glowing, losing themselves in a deep and passionate kiss.

"I love you," Draco whispered when they finally broke apart, breathless and flushed.

"I love you, too" Harry´s voice was husky, "and I want you so much... I need to undress you now..."

A pleasant shiver went down Draco´s spine as he gave himself over to the gentle yet strong hands that were peeling his robes away.

-

Later that night, neither of them found any sleep, even though they had exhausted themselves. Penetration had been a little awkward at first, and neither of them could help but laugh at how strange it was, like having sex for the first time again, but they had gotten used to this unusual feeling rather quickly.

Harry nestled against Draco comfortably, gently stroking the blond´s arm: "You okay?" he whispered. He knew that the other was awake as well, he could tell from the way he was breathing.

"Yes," Draco murmured, pressing a gentle kiss on Harry´s temple, "satisfied."

"How was it?" Harry was curious.

Draco shrugged: "Different, but not bad," he said. "I could get used to it. For a while."

They both laughed quietly.

"Harry," Draco spoke again after a minutes, "I just want you to know... you know that this isn´t only about the baby, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... we´re still having sex because we want to, not only because we´re trying to... well, reproduce?"

Harry grinned even though Draco couldn´t see it: "You´ve read too many books, they´ve rubbed off on you."

Turning serious again, he supported himself on one elbow so he could look at the other: "Of course it is about us," he said. "You have no idea how much I want you every day, regardless of anything else."

He reached up and tenderly caressed Draco´s ear, stroking the strands of fine hair back behind it.

The other´s gaze was almost solemn: "I hope we can keep it this way," he said softly. "What if it takes a long time, you might get tired of... you know... doing it like this."

Harry eyed him for a moment and then slowly tipped his index finger against his forehead: "Are you nuts?" he said mockingly if still very affectionately.

Draco sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to him: "Just thought I´d check..."

"Check _my arse_."

"Exactly."

Both of them chuckled while they were burrowing deeper into the blankets, enjoying the other´s warm body and the sense of being safe and secure.

-

Harry had been truthful; he couldn´t imagine of ever tiring of Draco´s body, and he didn´t. On the contrary to Draco´s initial apprehension, their sex rather seemed to become even more intense, the bodily expression of how they worshipped each other. His fear that it would serve mainly as a means to create a child didn´t prove true.

There were also times during which they abstained, content to be going without for a while, and altogether Draco felt a comforting calmness settle within him, which affirmed that they had made the right decision.

One morning, Draco´s stomach unexpectedly gave a violent twist at the smell of his toothpaste, and the nausea he suddenly felt prevented him from brushing his teeth altogether. The same happened the morning after that; additionally, he felt immensely tired and could have slept all day. At first he thought he might have caught some bug, but when he woke up after a nap in the afternoon, his head felt clear and he didn´t feel ill at all, simply tired.

Hope welled up in him, and he scrambled out of bed to find one of the pregnancy tests Healer McCarthy had given him.

When Harry came home, Draco was lying on the bed. At first Harry thought his lover was asleep, yet when he bent down to place a gentle kiss on his brow, Draco turned towards him, an unreadable expression on his face.

Harry crawled onto the bed next to him: "Hey you," he murmured, nudging the tip of his nose against Draco´s. The blond man reached for Harry´s hand; he half expected that Draco wanted to pull him close, but Draco simply took it and slowly guided it underneath his shirt, so that it came to lie on the blond´s belly.

Draco winced almost imperceptibly, as the hand was a little cold, but a smile spread on his face nevertheless as he sought Harry´s gaze now.

The dark-haired man took a moment to comprehend, then he gasped, and a moment later, his hand began stroking the belly in gentle circles.

"Hello baby," he whispered, awe evident in his voice, before he leaned forward and captured his lover´s mouth in a gentle kiss.

**--**

**The End**

**--**

I am currently considering writing a sequel, which will of course contain the actual pregnancy,

and more of Ron and Hermione etc.

So stay tuned if you enjoyed this!


End file.
